Sustainable snapshot

Did you know Hillsmeade Primary School is proud to be taking part in the i Sea i Care Marine Ambassador program, ran by the Dolphin Research Institute? 

Our 8 Marine Ambassadors were selected after an interview process earlier in the year. These Ambassadors attend workshops and create action plans to help make Hillsmeade a more sustainable school. 

They ran World Oceans Day presentations and are in the middle of coordinating a new initative to launch in Term 3. 

Here is a wrap up of what they got up to on their last workshop: 

CATCHMENT WORKSHOP We had a fantastic Catchment Workshop at the Clyde North Wetlands. We began with a presentation from Sustainability Project Officer Jen and her fabulous team from the City of Casey with Peter, who manages the maintenance of the litter traps, alongside Emma from Waste Education, Litter Prevention Officer Nino, and Water Planner Priya.

The team discussed the lifecycles of litter and the consequences of littering, the types of gross pollutant traps in the region, how litter flows from streets into stormwater drains, the importance of wetlands in trapping pollutants from flowing into the waterways, and the huge costs of monitoring and removing litter in this region. The council also demonstrated how they vacuum up litter from the GPT, and Ambassadors gained a greater appreciation for our Councillors and the enormous work they undertake to help minimise litter from entering our waterways!

We then headed to the wetlands for a frog identification activity, and a water pollution testing lesson, which included a ponding session to find macroinvertebrates and identify their pollution tolerance. We found the waterway to be in a relatively healthy condition after our water sampling and discovering the presence of pollution sensitive invertebrates. 

We finished with a litter collection and discussed the sources and types of litter collected, the many solutions and alternatives including the simple actions we can take to reduce our litter consumption. 

Thank you SO much to Casey Council for making this day so special, and to the ISIC teachers, parents, and carers for transporting Ambassadors and supporting them throughout the year. 

Waste free Wednesday returns in Term 3!

As part of our continuing efforts to reduce waste, next term Waste Free Wednesday is returning. This means we are encouraging no single use wrappers to come to school, especially on Wednesdays, but you may find it easier to buy in bulk and use the containers provided to your students from last year. 

There will be class prizes as well as individual prizes for students who reduce their single use wrappers. 

Remember buying in bulk saves money as well as reducing the amount of plastic purchased.